Collapsible fixture hanger having means to indicate the locked position



W. COLLAPSIBLE FIXTURE HANGER HAVING MEANS TO INDICATE THE LOCKED POSITION Filed NOV. 23, 1960 INVENTQR. WIHLS Cr. Pethl fittorney United States Patent 3,145,612 COLLAPSIBLE FIXTURE HANGER HAVING MEANS T0 INDICATE THE LOCKED POSITION Willis G. Pettit, 915 Kenmore Blvd, Akron 14, Ohio Filed Nov. 23, 1960, Ser. No. 71,307 2 Claims. (Cl. 85-3) This invention relates to collapsible fixture hangers of the type used for attaching electrical fixtures on ceilings or the like.

In the past, collapsible fixture hangers have been provided, wherein pivoted anchoring elements were insertable through a ceiling aperture and allowed to fall by gravity into extended anchoring positions. Concealed locking means were provided to fall by gravity into cooperation with locking portions on the elements to prevent collapse of the elements. Due to the locking means being completely concealed above the ceiling, however, there was no way to be certain that the elements were actually locked in said extended relation.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved collapsible fixture hanger of the character described, wherein a gravitationally actuated locking device is provided with means for determining if the device is in locked condition, and which is adjustable to prevent subsequent accidental release of the locking device.

Other objects of invention will be manifest from the following brief description and the accompanying drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of a fixture hanger embodying the invention, the same being in collapsed condition for ready insertion through a ceiling aperture.

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to FIGURE 1, partly broken away, and illustrating the improved hanger locked in anchoring position in a ceiling, which is indicated in chaindotted lines.

FIGURE 3 is a cross-section taken substantially on the line 33 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a front elevation of the improved locking means removed from the fixture hanger.

Referring to the drawings generally, there is illustrated a fixture hanger comprising a pair of oppositely disposed anchoring elements 10, which are pivoted on a pin 11 extended through the upper end of an externally threaded, tubular stem 12 to be freely swingable from a collapsed, axially extending condition shown in FIG- URE 1, to a laterally extended anchoring condition shown in FIGURES 2 and 3.

The elements 10 are of channel-shaped cross-section (FIGURE 3), and each has oppositely disposed extensions 13, 13 of the respective side flanges 14, 14 thereof arranged to provide shoulder portions 15, 15, which in the extended condition of FIGURE 2 define aligned slots 16, 16 of predetermined depth. For locking the elements in said extended condition a rigid T-shaped locking member 17 is formed of fiat sheet metal to be axially shiftably supported within the stem 12, by reception of opposite free ends of a cross-bar 18 thereof within the aligned slots 16; that is, upward collapsing movement of the elements is prevented by engagement of the shoulder portions with the cross-bar 18.

A shank portion 20 of the locking member is offset with respect to the cross-bar to extend downwardly past the pin 11 (see FIGURES l and 2), and has spaced out turned ears 21, 21 thereon to limit upward movement of the member. Accordingly, the locking member is retained in floating relationship within the stem by engagement of the pin 11 either by the cross-bar 18 or by the ears 21. In normal position of use of the improved fixture hanger shown in FIGURES 2 and 3, the locking member falls into locking position by gravity, as from the unlocked position thereof shown in FIGURE 1.

3,145,612 Patented Aug. 25, 1964 "ice By reference to FIGURES 2 and 3 in particular, it will be observed that the shank portion 20 of the locking member 17 described above is always fully concealed within the stem 12. In other words, there is no sure way for an observer to tell if the cross-bar 18 is in position to lock the elements 10 in the extended or anchoring relationship. To obviate this problem, an elongated strip or extension 22 of durable but readily deformable metal may be brazed, welded or otherwise afiixed at its upper end to the lower end of the shank 20 to present a substantial extent of the strip below the lower end of the stem. Strip 22 may be provided with visible signal means, such as mark or line 23, which indicates whether or not the cross-bar 18 is in full locking position within the slots 16. The area below the mark 23 is stippled to indicate a bright color.

A nut 24, threaded on the stem 12 is adapted to be turned toward the ceiling C, with or without use of a washer 25, to clamp the stem in fixed relation.

In use of the improved fixture hanger for the purposes described, the elements 10 are collapsed or folded on the stem 12, as shown in FIGURE 1, for manipulation of the elements outwardly through an aperture A in ceiling C, for example, until the elements are free to fall by gravity into the extended position shown in FIGURES 2 and 3, in which the locking member will drop by gravity to receive the cross-bar 18 in locking position in the grooves 16, as described above.

Should the indicator line 23 be even with or above the lower end of threaded stem 12, it is to be assumed that the elements 10 are not locked by the cross-bar 18. In this event further manipulation of stem 12, coupled with pulling action on the visible portion of strip 22, will be effective to accomplish full locking of the elements. Full locking engagement may then be maintained by bending the strip 23 around the lower end of the stem as shown in full lines in FIGURE 2, after which the nut 24 may be turned to clamping position as described above. An electrical outlet box or other fixture (not shown) may then be secured to the lower end of the stem in known manner. The strip 22 is easily adjusted to permit application of the fixture past the end of the stem.

Modifications of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A collapsible fixture hanger for blind attachment to an apertured structure having an exposed inner side and a concealed outer side, comprising; a hollow externally threaded member having nut means thereon engageable with the exposed inner side of the apertured structure; oppositely disposed anchoring elements pivoted on said member to swing from radially extending positions toward collapsed axially extended positions for reception thereof outwardly through the aperture in the structure and gravitationally extensible inwardly against the concealed outer side of the structure, said elements in the concealed extended positions thereof having aligned diametrically opposite slots each defined by inwardly opposed shoulder portions on the opposite elements; a lock including a stem portion and oppositely out-turned locking extensions at one end thereof for gravitational reception of the stem within the upper end of said hollow member to a locking position of the stem in which said extensions engage between the opposed shoulders of the slots, and thereby to prevent subsequent collapse of said extended elements; said stem in said locking position of the same having an inward extension movable therewith and including a visibly identifiable portion exposed inwardly beyond the inner end of said member, said portion including a mark spaced from said out-turned extensions a distance corresponding to the distance from the bottom of said slots to the inner end of said hollow member, such that when said out-turned extensions are bottomed in said slots, said mark is in a predeterminately located indicating position with respect to said inner end of the threaded member, and when said extensions are not bottomed in said slots, said mark is in another predeterminately located indicating position with respect to said inner end of the threaded member and above the first named indicating position; whereby the visibly apparent location of said visibly identifiable portion and mark with respect to said inner end of the member indicates whether or not said elements are 10 anchoringly locked by said out-turned locking extensions. 2. A fixture hanger as set forth in claim 1, said stem extension being at least in part manually deformable material adapted to be deformed about the inner end of said member to retain said stem in said locking position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 575,032 Kimbrell Jan. 12, 1897 1,326,959 Paine et a1 Jan. 6, 1920 2,449,869 Watson Sept. 21, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS 774,778 Great Britain May 15, 1957 

1. A COLLAPSIBLE FIXTURE HANGER FOR BLIND ATTACHMENT TO AN APERTURED STRUCTURE HAVING AN EXPOSED INNER SIDE AND A CONCEALED OUTER SIDE, COMPRISING; A HOLLOW EXTERNALLY THREADED MEMBER HAVING NUT MEANS THEREON ENGAGEABLE WITH THE EXPOSED INNER SIDE OF THE APERTURED STRUCTURE; OPPOSITELY DISPOSED ANCHORING ELEMENTS PIVOTED ON SAID MEMBER TO SWING FROM RADIALLY EXTENDING POSITIONS TOWARD COLLAPSED AXIALLY EXTENDED POSITIONS FOR RECEPTION THEREOF OUTWARDLY THROUGH THE APERTURE IN THE STRUCTURE AND GRAVITATIONALLY EXTENSIBLE INWARDLY AGAINST THE CONCEALED OUTER SIDE OF THE STRUCTURE, SAID ELEMENTS IN THE CONCEALED EXTENDED POSITIONS THEREOF HAVING ALIGNED DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSITE SLOTS EACH DEFINED BY INWARDLY OPPOSED SHOULDER PORTIONS ON THE OPPOSITE ELEMENTS; A LOCK INCLUDING A STEM PORTION AND OPPOSITELY OUT-TURNED LOCKING EXTENSIONS AT ONE END THEREOF FOR GRAVITATIONAL RECEPTION OF THE STEM WITHIN THE UPPER END OF SAID HOLLOW MEMBER TO A LOCKING POSITION OF THE STEM IN WHICH SAID EXTENSIONS ENGAGE BETWEEN THE OPPOSED SHOULDERS OF THE SLOTS, AND THEREBY TO PREVENT SUBSEQUENT COLLAPSE OF SAID EXTENDED ELEMENTS; SAID STEM IN SAID LOCKING POSITION OF THE SAME HAVING AN INWARD EXTENSION MOVABLE THEREWITH AND INCLUDING A VISIBLY IDENTIFIABLE PORTION EXPOSED INWARDLY BEYOND THE INNER END OF SAID MEMBER, SAID PORTION INCLUDING A MARK SPACED FROM SAID OUT-TURNED EXTENSIONS A DISTANCE CORRESPONDING TO THE DISTANCE FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID SLOTS TO THE INNER END OF SAID HOLLOW MEMBER, SUCH THAT WHEN SAID OUT-TURNED EXTENSIONS ARE BOTTOMED IN SAID SLOTS, SAID MARK IS IN A PREDETERMINATELY LOCATED INDICATING POSITION WITH RESPECT TO SAID INNER END OF THE THREADED MEMBER, AND WHEN SAID EXTENSIONS ARE NOT BOTTOMED IN SAID SLOTS, SAID MARK IS IN ANOTHER PREDETERMINATELY LOCATED INDICATING POSITION WITH RESPECT TO SAID INNER END OF THE THREADED MEMBER AND ABOVE THE FIRST NAMED INDICATING POSITION; WHEREBY THE VISIBLY APPARENT LOCATION OF SAID VISIBLY IDENTIFIABLE PORTION AND MARK WITH RESPECT TO SAID INNER END OF THE MEMBER INDICATES WHETHER OR NOT SAID ELEMENTS ARE ANCHORINGLY LOCKED BY SAID OUT-TURNED LOCKING EXTENSIONS. 